Canadian travel to the U.S. plummets — but Americans are staying home, too

It’s not just Canadians who are holding back on cross-border travel amid a U.S. trade war that has soured bilateral relations.

The number of Americans coming to Canada is also dropping off. New data published by Statistics Canada Thursday shows a 10.4 per cent decline in U.S. resident trips by automobile in June — a steeper drop than what was registered the month before.

According to the federal agency, 1.4 million Americans made the trip north by auto last month, compared to roughly 1.56 million who did the same last year. That decline has political and business leaders on the Canadian side of the 49th parallel concerned given how much these visitors spend when they come.

Last year, American visitors contributed a record $15 billion to the economy.

There is a silver lining, though: some tourist destinations are reporting an uptick in domestic and non-U.S. international travellers, which, in some instances, is making up for the drop in American spending.

What’s obvious from the data is that Canadian trips to the U.S. continue to plummet.

The number of Canadians returning from trips to the U.S. by air fell 22.1 per cent in June compared with the same month one year earlier, according to StatsCan. Canadian-resident return trips by automobile dropped by an eye-popping 33.1 per cent.

Still, a statistically significant number of U.S. residents are also choosing to defer travel to Canada.

Federal data shows the number of American-plated autos coming to Canada has been sliding since the onset of the trade dispute.

The year was off to a promising start, with more Americans coming up in January than in the same month the year before.

But, in February, things took a turn just as U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up his 51st state rhetoric and slapped tariffs on all imports, prompting a Canadian backlash, anthem booing and hurt feelings on both sides of the border.

The immediate result was a drop in cross-border traffic — with Canadians pulling back on travel in a big way and their American neighbours doing the same, but to a lesser extent.

The number of American-plated cars crossing into Canada dropped by six per cent in February, four per cent in March, and seven per cent in April, according to a CBC News analysis of the data.

Niagara Falls, Ont., is particularly dependent on American travellers, with as many as three million of them coming north to take in the unofficial eighth world wonder in any given year.

Figures from the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission, which manages three border crossings in the area, shows even steeper declines than what has been reported elsewhere. Canada-bound trips by car fell by double digits at different points this year at the heavily trafficked Rainbow Bridge.